According to the BBC, 12 people have already been killed since Friday in a wave of xenophobic attacks which erupted in the city's slum area, Cleveland. Primarilly targeted were Zimbabweans. At least 50 people have been injured and around 1000 are seeking shelter.

Mobs killed at least 5 people and injured 50 in anti-foreigner violence since Sunday that has spread through poor suburbs of Johannesburg, police said. The BBC stated the death toll is now up to 12 since Friday May 16, when tension began to rise.

Johannesburg police said the violence erupted after midnight in a slum settlement called Cleveland near the city center. Two people were burned and three others beaten to death. More than 50 were taken to hospitals with gunshot and stab wounds.

Foreigners, mainly Zimbabweans, were targeted, police spokeswoman Cheryl Engelbrecht said. More than 300 had sought refuge at the local police station.

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The trouble started last week in the sprawling township of Alexandra and has since spread. Johannesburg is South Africa’s economic hub and home to hundreds of thousands of immigrants, many of them illegal.

The South African Press Association reported that around 300 foreigners had flocked to a community hall on Saturday, seeking safety after attacks broke out in a township in another part of Johannesburg called Thokoza. A church, where around 1,000 Zimbabweans had been taking refuge was attacked during the day, the BBC reports.

In Tembisa, one man was shot dead and two others were injured, also in xenophobic attacks. Police spokesman Manyadza Ralidhivha said scores of Tembisa residents went on a rampage, destroying property that belonged to foreign nationals Saturday, according to SAPA.